Maiden Voyage wanted to check on RPM's and Gears in 17 F-150

[CampinHappy]

Went and picked up my new Premier 29RK today in Lubbock, Texas. Empty weight is 6,154 and we only had a little water and two tanks of propane on the way home. Going across very gentle rises and drops around the cotton fields on a dry highway with a generally quartering tail wind of 15-20 here's what I saw relative to gears (I let it do the shifting).

Oh 2017 F-150 5.0 L V8 with 3.73 rear end, stock. Had the towing button pushed. 80K ish miles. Trailer chart from Ford shows 9,600 max.

On flat ground I would see around 70mph with the RPM in the 2500-2700 range in 5th.

On very gentle up slopes I would see it drop into 4th, maintain the high 60's and RPM's would be under 3,500. (Redline isn't until high 5's)

It seemed fine, temps all stayed normal, engine seemed fine at the 3,500 rpm range.

Thoughts/Opinions ?

[CampinHappy]

Mkirsh - love that "Let it eat". Thanks for the reply. Not trying to cruise at 1500, but just wanted to get somebody else to say "Hey, that sounds reasonable" and I figure I could comfortably run 70 on the flat lands with little wind, but hey, I'm going camping. If I'm in a hurry and going camping, something must be wrong.

[mkirsch]

It takes RPMs to make power. Let it eat.

If your expectation was that it would lope along at 70MPH with the engine doing 1500 RPMs, you're certainly disappointed. The only way you'll achieve that is with a diesel engine. Otherwise, let it eat.

[time2roll]

All looks good. No worry unless the transmission is hunting or shifting frequently to find the right gear.

[CampinHappy]

MFL - I live in west Texas so there's always a wind. With my previous trailer and this one as well, I literally look out a few days before a trip and plan my times accordingly. This weekend from Odessa to Lubbock the forecast was for 22-25 mph out of the North up till around noon with decreasing in the afternoon, so I scheduled my pickup at noon, with a couple of hours to go through the trailer I ended up with a 15-20 mph tailwind as we came south. I agree that mid-60's is usually the max, but the tailwind seemed to help the truck hit the "groove" at around 68 or so.

Thanks for the replies!

[Lwiddis]

“I let it do the shifting.”

As much as I like shift the 1500 (and the Tahoe before it) the vehicle does it better.

[noteven]

It sounds "normal" to me.

The Boss 6.2 engine in my 6 spd F-350 shifts to direct (4th) when it needs to pull.

It runs at 3500 or less rpm 95% of the time in rolling land carrying a 3200lbs full height truck camper while towing a 4500lbs enclosed barn trailer. I usually lock out 6th - tow speed of 60 - 65mph is easy to maintain in 5th and 4th without the constant shifting in and out of 6th.

It is happier on 91 gas vs 87 when towing.

If it wants to downshift to frantic mode I select manual mode and hold gears without running the engine to the red line.

Manual mode is available with cruise control on - it's a nice feature.

[shelbyfv]

The Tow/Haul works well, IME. Check your payload, though. That can be a limit far sooner than the tow weight.

[Bobbo]

I agree with MFL. When towing, I set my cruise control at 62. I may speed up to 65 for brief periods to pass somebody, but when I am by them, it goes back to 62.

The reason I choose 62 is that most people drive on a division in mph of 5. They drive 60 or 65 or 70 or 75. By driving 2 or 3 miles over or under that, I am never in a wolf pack. I am always slowly passing the others, or they are slowly passing me. I never bunch up with them.

I did a test with my previous rig. At 60 mph I got 9 mpg. At 70 mph I got 6 mpg. That is a 16% increase in speed and a 33% decrease in gas mileage. My current rig has somewhat higher mpg numbers, but tested out to that same ratio.

[MFL]

I understand, that some people have less time to travel/camp, but just slowing to 63-65 mph would make a difference in RPM, and MPG. Wind resistance is your enemy, when towing. Tailwind ??? Almost unheard of, when towing! It is mostly uphill, against the wind! 🙂

Jerry

[dodge_guy]

Sounds like normal RPM's when towing. 4.10's would keep the RPM's lower on gentle rises. And your towin mileage would increase slightly.
Otherwise sounds good.

But!.........you weren't loaded for a trip. So your only going to get heavier. At least another 1000lbs. Which will put you at 7200lbs.

[Grit_dog]

Sounds about right.
Wont really ever use 6th towing a big sail.
5.0 has a lot of power if you wind er up a little and is perfectly happy at higher rpms all day. When towing heavy I usually locked out 5th and 6th.